Massachusetts (Bee Gees song)
| Length = 2:22 | Label = Polydor (United Kingdom) Atco (United States) | Writer = | Producer = Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | Chronology = Bee Gees UK singles | Last single = "To Love Somebody" (1967) | Next single = "World" (1967) | This single = "Massachusetts" (1967) | Misc = }} }} "Massachusetts" is a song by the Bee Gees, released in 1967. Written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. Robin Gibb sang lead vocals on this song and it would become one of his staple songs to perform during concerts on both Bee Gees and his solo concerts. It later appeared on their 1968 album, Horizontal. The song became the first of the group's five No. 1 hits in the UK, reached No. 1 in twelve other countries, peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually became one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over five million copies worldwide. When the brothers wrote the song, they had never been to Massachusetts. In a UK television special on ITV in December 2011, it was voted third (behind "How Deep Is Your Love" and "You Win Again") in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song"."The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song". ITV. 9 December 2011. Writing and inspiration The song was written in the Regis Hotel, New York City during a tour of the United States. The song was intended as an antithesis to flower power anthems of the time such as "Let's Go to San Francisco" and "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" in that the protagonist had been to San Francisco to join the hippies but was now homesick. The idea of the lights having gone out in Massachusetts was to suggest that everyone had gone to San Francisco. }} The song was originally intended for The Seekers. Upon arriving in London from Australia (following in the path of the Seekers who had arrived several years earlier) the Bee Gees had been unsuccessful in getting the song to the group, so they recorded it themselves. During a chance meeting in London between the Seekers' lead singer Judith Durham and Maurice Gibb, Durham learned that "Massachusetts" was originally intended for her group and in 2003 the Seekers recorded the song as a tribute to Maurice following his death earlier that year. The Bee Gees had never actually been to Massachusetts when they recorded this; they just liked the sound of the name. Robin Gibb explained about "Massachusetts" in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: Recording "Massachusetts" was recorded on August 9, 1967 along with "Sir Geoffrey Saved the World" at the IBC Studios in London and finished on August 17. Barry feels Bill Shepherd's orchestral score is perhaps the arranger's finest: "We never expected him to do that. Sometimes we would sing what we would imagine the strings doing. But in this case he did that himself, and I thought it was great. 'Massachusetts' was our first #1 in England". Release Before the release of this song, Australians Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney were facing deportation, and it appeared that they might have to leave the band as a result. On 12 August, British fans staged a protest on behalf of the musicians at the cottage of Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Three days later Bee Gees fan Deirdre Meehan chained and handcuffed herself to Buckingham Palace to protest the possible deportation. Ultimately, the musicians were allowed to stay. When it was released in England, the title was "Massachusetts (The Lights Went Out in)" but the subtitle was later dropped. In America, Atco Records delayed it to release "Holiday". The song "Massachusetts" has a minor claim to fame in the history of British radio as it was the second record played on BBC Radio 1. The first song to be played was "Flowers in the Rain" by The Move. It was the first No. 1 hit single by a non-Japanese artist on Japan's official hit chart, Oricon Singles Chart, on April 1, 1968. Personnel *Robin Gibb – lead vocals *Barry Gibb – rhythm guitar, harmony vocals *Maurice Gibb – bass guitar, piano, Mellotron, harmony vocals *Vince Melouney – rhythm guitar *Colin Petersen – drums *Bill Shepherd – orchestral arrangement Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Cover versions * Former Yugoslav band Siluete covered the song in 1967. * Claude François covered the song in 1967 as "La plus belle chose du monde". * Czech singer Václav Neckář covered the song in 1968. * Ed Ames recorded a version of this song on his album Who Will Answer? in 1968. * Also in 1968, Hong Kong female singer Betty Chung covered this song in Mandarin Chinese with Chinese lyrics written by Wei Yin (魏因) and given the title name of <<我祝福他>>, appearing on her LP album Wild Flame (<<野火>>) and released by EMI Pathe Records. * Estonian singer Jaak Joala covered the song in Estonian language. * Between 1972 and 1974, this song was covered by Singapore-based female singer Ervinna, backing music by the Charlie & His Boys, on her LP album Golden Hits of 20th Century Vol. 6 with White Cloud Record of Singapore. *The Seekers recorded this song following the death of Maurice Gibb. References External links * Category:Bee Gees songs Category:1967 singles Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Germany Category:Oricon Weekly number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Songs about the United States Category:Songs written by Barry Gibb Category:Songs written by Maurice Gibb Category:Songs written by Robin Gibb Category:Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood Category:Song recordings produced by Barry Gibb Category:Song recordings produced by Robin Gibb Category:Song recordings produced by Maurice Gibb Category:Polydor Records singles Category:Atco Records singles Category:1967 songs